overwhelm
Americanverb (used with object)
-
overwhelms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overwhelmed,
past participle, past
-
overwhelming
present participle
-
to overcome completely in mind or feeling.
overwhelmed by remorse.
-
to overpower or overcome, especially with superior forces; destroy; crush.
Roman troops were overwhelmed by barbarians.
-
to cover or bury beneath a mass of something, as floodwaters, debris, or an avalanche; submerge.
Lava from erupting Vesuvius overwhelmed the city of Pompeii.
-
to load, heap, treat, or address with an overpowering or excessive amount of anything.
a child overwhelmed with presents; to overwhelm someone with questions.
-
to overthrow.
verb
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to overpower the thoughts, emotions, or senses of
-
to overcome with irresistible force
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to overcome, as with a profusion or concentration of something
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to cover over or bury completely
-
to weigh or rest upon overpoweringly
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archaic to overturn
Usage
What’s the difference between overwhelm and underwhelm? The over- in overwhelm means “too much” and the under- in underwhelm essentially means “too little,” and the two words can be direct opposites, but they’re usually used in different contexts. Overwhelm most commonly means to cause to be overcome with emotion as a result of an amount of something (work, stress, etc.) that’s just too much to handle. (It can also mean to overpower or physically cover beneath a mass of something). Underwhelm means to fail to impress, especially when that is the expectation. Both words are often used in adjective forms: overwhelmed (overcome to the point of not being able to manage), overwhelming (describing something that leads to feeling overwhelmed), underwhelmed (unimpressed or disappointed), and underwhelming (unimpressive or disappointing). Being overwhelmed isn’t always about stress or other negative emotions. You could be overwhelmed by a friend’s generosity or the birth of a child. Still, it’s usually about feeling a lot. In this way, underwhelm can be the opposite of overwhelm in some situations. For example, the same concert may overwhelm one person (perhaps it’s the first concert they’ve ever attended) but underwhelm someone else (maybe because it doesn’t meet their high expectations). And, yes, whelm is a word. It can mean the same thing as overwhelm, but it’s very rarely used. Here’s an example of overwhelm and underwhelm used correctly in the same sentence. Example: I never want to underwhelm the fans, and sometimes that pressure can overwhelm me, but it all goes away when I walk on stage. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between overwhelm and underwhelm.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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overwhelmsimple
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overwhelmssimple
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have overwhelmedperfect
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has overwhelmedperfect
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am overwhelmingprogressive
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are overwhelmingprogressive
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is overwhelmingprogressive
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have been overwhelmingperfect progressive
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has been overwhelmingperfect progressive
Past
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overwhelmedsimple
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had overwhelmedperfect
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was overwhelmingprogressive
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were overwhelmingprogressive
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had been overwhelmingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overwhelm
A Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at over-, whelm
Explanation
Overwhelm means “give a person too much of something.” If your friend agrees to feed your pet fish while you’re on vacation, don’t overwhelm her with requests by also asking her to do your laundry and wash the dishes. While it’s easy to be overwhelmed by chores or complaints, it’s also possible to be overwhelmed by good things — if they occur in large quantities. You might enjoy a stack of pancakes for breakfast, but you'd probably find a truckload of pancakes overwhelming. Sometimes people feel overwhelmed by emotion, and this can be a positive or negative experience, depending on the emotion. For example, you might feel overwhelmed by gratitude if your friend takes excellent care of your fish, but overwhelmed with grief if the fish is accidentally flushed in your absence.
Vocabulary lists containing overwhelm
The Diary of Anne Frank
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Anti-Antonyms: Words Without Opposites
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
They also showed lower indicators of oxidative stress, a process in which harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species overwhelm the body's protective defenses.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
“It’s not necessarily weakening demand for AI computing. But, in my mind, it’s a growing concern that CoreWeave’s enormous borrowing requirements could overwhelm its ability to generate cash and refinance debt at reasonable rates.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
The flooding was extraordinary, and scientists said they show how the approaching Tropical Storm Rachel, along with high tides, a record-hot ocean and El Niño-fueled waves, can overwhelm coastal areas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
As a result, the complaint says, instead of snow in the winter, Boulder gets more “high-intensity, short-duration rainfall events” that overwhelm its drainage systems and cause flooding.
From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026
I did not want to overwhelm her with all my questions.
From "I Will Always Write Back" by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda
Global bond yields will keep climbing, Dalio predicts, as the supply of government debt overwhelms demand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Repeated ashfall blocks roads, overwhelms drainage systems and damages roofs.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
Even here in the relative safety of Annapolis, Maryland, an advancing armada of amped-up college kids overwhelms me.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
That sparks fears of a capital squeeze, whereby sheer supply overwhelms available buyer cash.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
While he talks, von Rumpel struggles to keep his balance; the intermingling of so many odors in this shop overwhelms.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Others get that, but then get overwhelmed by the choices and never come back to select funds once the rollover cash settles.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
In doing so, he has overwhelmed George Russell, who has accepted and is more than willing to say that Antonelli has simply done a better job than him this season.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
McAfee, apparently already reeling from a column in the Athletic that opined that “College GameDay” has become overwhelmed by McAfee’s “frat-rock prankster” personality, appeared deeply offended.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
First-time visitors to Paris can easily be overwhelmed by how much there is to take in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
Leo digs his fingers into his curls, his habit when he’s overwhelmed.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
The crowd appeared to be roughly evenly divided between Anglos and Hispanics in an area where Hispanics make up an overwhelming majority of population.
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026
For a Rams team that began the season as an overwhelming favorite to win Super Bowl LXI, it has turned into a season of firsts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Jacob Misiorowski delivered his most dominant performance of the playoffs, overwhelming the Rays over 5⅔ scoreless innings in Game 5 to help the team clinch its first championship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
With the overwhelming amount of travel accounts on TikTok, Instagram and blogs, how do I identify activities and recommendations within my price range?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
Even after White detailed the overwhelming evidence against him, Hale seemed unperturbed, as if he still held the upper hand.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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